Computer numeric control (CNC) machine tools frequently utilize cutting heads such as, for example, taps, drills and boring bars, that require lubrication to prevent heat build-up and premature wear. To optimize the efficiency of an automated machine tool, it is desirable to utilize as little lubricant as possible in machining operations. A machine tool operating with this minimum amount of lubricant is said to be “near dry machining.”
One approach to near dry machining is to provide a lubricant system which directs misted or atomized lubricant at the cutting head during operation. These systems present environmental dangers to machine shop operators, however, as the suspension of lubricant particles in the air can be deleterious to the operators' health. Moreover, systems of this nature, with their “shotgun” style approach to lubricant application, do not accurately target the cutting surfaces of the cutting head and may require continual manual adjustment as different cutting heads are exchanged during a machining operation. Further, these systems only offer limited configurability, ranging from manual on/off switches to, at best, valves to control the flow of lubricant onto the cutting head.
Accordingly, there is a need for a machine tool lubrication approach that more efficiently and accurately directs lubricant to the cutting surfaces of a cutting head, which is more highly configurable and less environmentally hazardous. The present invention satisfies these needs and provides other advantages as well.